Benton County, Tennessee

Benton County, Tennessee
Benton County Courthouse in Camden
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 19, 1835
Seat	Camden
Largest city	Camden
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	436 sq mi (1,130 km²) 395 sq mi (1,023 km²) 41 sq mi (107 km²), 9.48%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	16,489 42/sq mi (16/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population is 16,489. Its county seat is Camden^[1].

Benton County is located in northwest Tennessee, bordering the western branch of the Tennessee River and 30 miles south of the Kentucky border. Aside from Camden, other major communities include agrarian communities Big Sandy and Holladay. It is known well in the area for its duck hunting and fishing industries, and in the past, was recognized for sorghum production, although it is no longer produced there.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,129.2 km²), of which 395 square miles (1,023.0 km²) is land and 41 square miles (106.2 km²) (9.48%) is water.

National protected area

• Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

History

Benton County was formed in 1835 from part of Humphreys County. It was named in honor of David Benton (1779–1860), who was an early settler in the county and a member of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Militia in the Creek War.

Demographics

Age pyramid Benton County^[2]

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 16,537 people, 6,863 households, and 4,886 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 8,595 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.44% White, 2.10% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,863 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.00% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 27.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,679, and the median income for a family was $32,727. Males had a median income of $29,177 versus $19,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,646. About 11.90% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.90% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Radio Stations

• WRJB-FM 95.9 "Magic 95.9 the Valley"
• WFWL-AM 1220 "The Station You Grew Up With"
• WAKQ-FM 105.5 (Henry Co) "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"
• WTPR-AM 710 (Henry Co) "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
• WTPR-FM 101.7 (Henry Co) "The Greatest Hits of All Time"

Newspapers

The Camden Chronicle

Adjacent counties

• Stewart County (northeast)
• Houston County (northeast)
• Humphreys County (east)
• Perry County (southeast)
• Decatur County (south)
• Carroll County (west)
• Henry County (northwest)

Parks and recreation

• Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park
• Natchez Trace State Park

Cities and towns

• Big Sandy
• Camden
• Eva (unincorporated)
• Holladay (unincorporated)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Tennessee

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ Based on 2000 census data
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

Benton County at the Open Directory Project

Coordinates: 36°04′N 88°04′W / 36.07°N 88.07°W / 36.07; -88.07